The man apparently showed the woman a handgun and attempted to steal her purse around 10:15 a.m. today, then drove off in an older white sports utility vehicle headed south on Naismith Drive. The man did not get the purse.

At least four Lawrence Police officers were dispatched to the area, but no suspect was yet in custody.

And which she would have been able to do even BEFORE the unnecessary concealed carry law, which will encourage the concealment of said weapon. Whatever happened to gun racks anyway - THAT was a deterrent.

Kids and amateurs are the only ones dumb enough to do armed robberies anymore. And he didn't even get the purse!

I did ten years in an underground supermax in Minnesota (Oak Park Heights) and one of the locals laid out a plan to knock an armored car in a shopping center. It sounded plausible, but they later sent him to the feds and I got sent back to Kansas; got older and less bolder and decided on the straight-and-narrow. The underlying logic was, if you were going to steal, and run the risk of prison for stealing, you might as well steal a lot.

Marion violently wrote: "My own preference is to give them what they want, then to refuse to cooperate further and while they are figuring out what to do, hit them with a few placed .45 ACPs in the breathers and the old pump."

Which causes me to wonder, how many times he has defended himself in this manner against muggers and other criminals?

You have, in the past, asked what I went to prison for - "really." I had to refer to the KDOC website to refresh my memory

I have nine (9) current felony convictions. I was convicted of 1st degree murder (1) and sentenced in 1975 to natural life - with a fifteen years parole eligibility.

While in Lansing, I escaped from custody and picked up (2) Aggravated Battery Against A Law Enforcement Officer; (3) Aggravated Escape From Custody; (4 & 5) two counts of Aggravated Robbery; (6) Aggravated Burglary; (7) Burglary; and (8 & 9) two counts, Theft ($100 or More).

In 1977, while in Lansing, I was charged with manslaughter(inmate); the charge was later dropped when Leavenworth County authorities declined to prosecute.

In 1984, I was charged with attempted murder/aggravated assault (inmate); charges were later dropped when Washington County, MN authorities declined to prosecute.

At the end of 2004, after almost 31 years in prison and thirteen consecutive rejections by the Kansas Parole Board, I was released on parole. I would like to be more specific; however, one of your colleagues is striving mightily to discover my identity so he can whine to my parole officer that I insult/threaten/intimidate him on a newspaper web-site. Don't need the aggravation. I'll be off paper in August and will be delighted to provide more specific information/dates etc., then.

Actually, no. I went to work almost immediately after I got out; got a better job at my present company a month later.

One thing, I spent my last three years in the El Dorado facility, worked at a private manufacturing concern inside the fences there, and managed to save almost $6,000 by the time I got out. Can't emphasize how important it is for guys getting out, especially after a long time down, to have this kind of cushion.

If you read my last post you'll understand my caution; I work for an area publishing company. While in MCF-OPH, I ran the prison newspaper and have an extensive background in printing, editing, etc. My company routinely hires ex-convicts, not the least because we often prove to be exceptionally hard workers. I started at an entry-level position, worked hard and got promoted, caught the eye of the owner, who I now train as a powerlifter (I'm a former Kansas Open powerlifting champ - 242lb. class). We needed, and still need, help in sales and I started work for our vice-president a few months ago. We do a lot of work for non-profits; I want to move us over to commercial work for Fortune 500 companies.

where's biosolidsman when we really need him. this crime could've just been prevented if Biosolidsman had been on patrol with his leaking truck. note this attack didn't happen in east lawrence, yesterday morning...QED.